Elgin Watch Co. Grade 214 Veritas - 18-Size, Model 8, 23 Jewels, c.1902, Serial No. 9542842 In December 1898, the Elgin National Watch Company filed an application for a trademark on “Veritas,” the Latin word meaning “truth.”  When the company introduced the new product line in 1901, the 21-Jewel and 23-Jewel options carried the “Veritas” name, fitting for a premium railroad watch. The new movement design was dubbed the “Veritas Model” in some promotional materials distributed by Elgin, including the 19-Jewel “B.W. Raymond” despite the lack of the “Veritas” marking. Elgin continued to use the “Veritas” name on their finest railroad watches until the early 1920s, around the time DeForest Hulburd became president of the company. ... Continue Reading

by Nathan Moore, 5 hours ago

The No. 214 Veritas movement introduced by the Elgin National Watch Company in 1901 represents the first 23-Jewel railroad watch produced by the company. Adorned with the name “Veritas,” this prestigious movement featured 23 ruby jewels in raised gold settings, gold train wheels, a double roller escapement with cap jewels, steel escape wheel, jeweled safety barrel, and was adjusted to the highest degree for precise railroad timekeeping. The Grade 214 remained part of Elgin’s product lineup until around 1912, when the market trended toward smaller watches, especially for railroad service. Elgin Watch Co... Continue Reading

by Nathan Moore, 1 day ago

To introduce the new “Model 1901” (Model 8), the Elgin National Watch Company published an advertisement in the March 1901 issue of The Keystone. The introductory headline indicates the new grades are “Specially Constructed for Railway Watch Inspection,” described as open face, lever-set, featuring raised gold settings, and adjusted to temperature, isochronism, and positions. The primary difference between the No. 214 Veritas, No. 239 Veritas, and the No... Continue Reading

by Nathan Moore, 2 days ago